How to geocode using geospatial context - Amazon Location Service
Potential useExamplesDeveloper tips

How to geocode using geospatial context

The Geocode API enables you to use geospatial context (such as bias position) to get desired results.

Note

"Bias position" refers to a mechanism that prioritizes search results based on a user's specified location or a defined area. It essentially shifts the focus of search results towards locations that are geographically closer to a designated bias point, without necessarily excluding other results.

Potential use

Use geospatial context to get the correct results based on your business needs.

Examples

By biasing to a position, you can change the rankings of your results. Try the following example, with— and then without—the BiasPosition value and compare the results.

Sample request
{
    "QueryText": "George Street",
    "BiasPosition": [
                151.2059,
                -33.8691
            ]
}
Sample response
{
    "ResultItems": [
        {
            "PlaceId": "<Redacted>",
            "PlaceType": "Street",
            "Title": "George St, Sydney NSW, Australia",
            "Address": {
                "Label": "George St, Sydney NSW, Australia",
                "Country": {
                    "Code2": "AU",
                    "Code3": "AUS",
                    "Name": "Australia"
                },
                "Region": {
                    "Code": "NSW",
                    "Name": "New South Wales"
                },
                "Locality": "Sydney",
                "Street": "George St",
                "StreetComponents": [
                    {
                        "BaseName": "George",
                        "Type": "St",
                        "TypePlacement": "AfterBaseName",
                        "TypeSeparator": " ",
                        "Language": "en"
                    }
                ]
            },
            "Position": [
                151.20691,
                -33.86974
            ],
            "Distance": 117,
            "MapView": [
                151.20225,
                -33.88406,
                151.20912,
                -33.85635
            ],
            "MatchScores": {
                "Overall": 1,
                "Components": {
                    "Address": {
                        "Intersection": [
                            1
                        ]
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        ...
        ...
    ]
}
cURL
curl --request POST \
  --url 'https://places.geo.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/v2/geocode?key=Your_Key' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '{
  "QueryText": "George Street",
    "BiasPosition": [
                151.2059,
                -33.8691
            ]
}'
AWS CLI
aws geo-places geocode --key ${YourKey} --query-text "George Street" --bias-position 151.2059 -33.8691

Developer tips

For address geocoding, try to use complete addresses or a query component with a combination of bias position, including country and place. To learn more, see How to geocode an address.